MENIFEE: District 3 candidates exchange views

Editor's note:
Although the forum included candidates from other races, this article focuses exclusively on the two candidates running in District 3.

With a little less than six weeks to go in the campaign for the Menifee City Council, the contrast between the two candidates in District 3 is beginning to sharpen.

It was obvious this week when about 100 Menifee residents listened to
Wallace Edgerton
and
Bill Zimmerman
explain on why they would be better-suited for the job during a public forum at Paloma Valley High School.

The district includes most of southeast Menifee from Haun Road east, and includes a few neighborhoods just north of Newport Road.

Edgerton, the city's first mayor and the leading vote-getter in the city's inaugural election four years ago, is basing his campaign on experience. Not just his experience in Menifee, but also for several years on the Long Beach City Council and as a college instructor of political science.

Zimmerman, who chairs the Menifee Planning Commission and has been a member of several volunteer groups, said he is the clear-cut choice because he's a team player who wants to bring a better attitude to the council.

"I've attended so many council meetings and I'm frustrated by what I see," Zimmerman said. "On the Planning Commission, we don't always agree but we do it in a professional manner. The City Council needs someone who'll be a team player and is focused on bringing jobs and family entertainment and other amenities to Menifee."

His comments were directed to Edgerton, who for the last year has taken his own stand on council issues and has consistently voted in the minority when there have been split votes. Edgerton countered by saying he has concerns about what he calls an inexperienced council and city staff.

"I have a high standard of ethics while in office and the public record will show that," Edgerton told the audience. "The record will also show that despite the campaign rhetoric, both the majority of the council and the City Manager (Bill Rawlings) lack the ideal amount of experience in running a city that one would hope for in facing what may become perilous economic times."

Other differences also were obvious.

Zimmerman said his top priority for the district and city is maintaining a high level of police and fire protection.

"Public safety should be our No. 1 commitment," Zimmerman said. He added that two-thirds of Menifee's budget pays for public safety services and he will continue to work for a safer city.

Edgerton, however, said housing is Menifee's key issue.

If the city insists on attracting a higher level of homes and families, he said, Menifee will naturally be a safe place to live. He also criticized the council majority for bending to threats of state-enforced mandates and approving a recent
housing plan
that will potentially allow for the construction of low-income homes.

Another big difference between the two candidates is the future of road improvements in the city.

Edgerton said he thinks that building a Holland Road overpass across Interstate 215 is a much bigger need right now than making improvements to the Newport Road interchange.

"Can you imagine what Menifee will be like if we start work on the (Newport) interchange before we build an overpass?" Edgerton said after the meeting.

Not long ago, Zimmerman felt the same way, but he has since changed his opinion and he now believes improvements to the interchange should come first.

"I had a discussion with the city manager and because the process is already in place to build the interchange, I think it would be detrimental to trip it up now," Zimmerman said after the forum. "(Some of) the funding is already in place so we should keep moving forward on the interchange."

New voting district boundaries prompted Edgerton to move recently into what is now District 3 in order to run again for a council seat. Zimmerman has been a resident in the new district for about 12 years.

And Edgerton continues to emphasize that he accepts no campaign contributions from developers while Zimmerman
has said
that he would.

The election is Nov. 6 and only voters who live in District 3 will cast ballots in this race.